A motion guide device is used for highly accurately guiding an object to be guided, such as a table, in making a linear motion or a curvilinear motion. A motion guide device includes a track member, and a moving member which is movably assembled to the track member via a plurality of rolling elements. When the moving member moves along the track member, the rolling elements make a rolling motion between the members to thereby allow the moving member to achieve a swift motion.
The track member is provided with a rolling-element rolling section extending in a longitudinal direction. The moving member is provided with a loaded rolling-element rolling section opposed to the rolling-element rolling section of the track member, a return path parallel to the loaded rolling-element rolling section, a loaded rolling-element rolling path provided between the rolling-element rolling section and the loaded rolling-element rolling section, and a circulation path including a pair of direction-change paths connected to the return path. As a kind of a motion guide device, there is proposed a motion guide device in which a circulation path is configured by a circulation path molding and the circulation path molding is incorporated into a moving member to facilitate manufacture of the moving member (see Patent Literature 1). The circulation path molding has a holding section that extends along a loaded rolling-element rolling section, a return path configuring section that configures a return path, and a pair of direction-change path inner circumference configuring sections that configure the inner circumferential portions of a pair of direction-change paths. The holding section holds the rolling elements or a holder that holds the rolling elements and plays a role of preventing them from falling from the moving member.
In the motion guide device described in Patent Literature 1, the circulation path molding is divided into several sections in a state of being integrally molded with at least one connector out of four connectors ((1) a connector between the holding section and one direction-change path inner circumference configuring section, (2) a connector between one direction-change path inner circumference configuring section and the return path configuring section, (3) a connector between the return path configuring section and the other direction-change path inner circumference configuring section, and (4) a connector between the other direction-change path inner circumference configuring section and the holding section) that configure a resin circulation path molding. Further, three modes are provided as modes of continuity for the connectors of the circulation path molding. First one is a mode in which the holding section and the pair of direction-change path inner circumference configuring sections are integrally molded, and the return path configuring section is separately provided. The second one is a mode in which one direction-change path inner circumference configuring section is integrally molded with the holding section and the return path configuring section, and the other direction-change path inner circumference configuring section is separately provided. The third one is a mode in which the holding section and the return path configuring section are integrally molded with the pair of direction-change path inner circumference configuring sections, and the holding section and the return path configuring section are divided into two halfway in a longitudinal direction.
According to the motion guide device described in Patent Literature 1, the integral molding of at least one connector can ensure the continuity of the circulation path molding and exert an effect of enabling smooth circulation of the rolling elements. In addition, the division of the circulation path molding into two, that is a minimum number of divisions, exerts an effect of facilitating assemblage of the circulation path molding.